Acne Vulgaris Market Opportunity Analysis and Forecasts to 2018

Despite its considerable patient population, the acne market has been overlooked and remained stagnant for the last decade. There has been a lack of research efforts due to the perception of a poor return on investment for topical treatments, the mainstay of acne therapy. There is an array of treatment options for acne, though with the exception of isotretinoin, most only provide symptomatic relief as opposed to a curative or disease-modifying solution. However, isotretinoin is unable to serve a significant proportion of the acne market owed to its teratogenic nature, making its prescription for women of child-bearing age problematic.

In the past decade, there has been a shift in the acne market, with greater appreciation of its patient pool and potential for a lucrative payoff. Furthermore, there has been greater stress put on the social and psychological implications of the disease, which impact patients’ quality of life. As a result, R&D investments have been initiated by key pharmaceutical players.

- Drive for combination therapies, for example, Galderma’s Epiduo (adapalene and benzoyl peroxide), which continues to experience rapid uptake.
- Expansion of the market into the pediatric population and for late-onset acne in women.
- A push towards disease-modifying therapies; for example, launch of AndroScience’s ASC-J9 androgen receptor degradation enhancer is anticipated to be a game-changer and is expected to rival isotretinoin, the current market leader for severe acne.

- How will the US and 5EU acne markets evolve over the forecast period from 2012 to 2018 in terms of sales and patient numbers?
- How will the launch of late-stage pipeline therapies such as ASC-J9 and Visonac shape the future treatment landscape?
- How do the clinical and commercial attributes of late-stage pipeline therapies compare to one another and against existing treatment options?
- Why has there been a void of R&D interest from Big Pharma in this highly populated dermatology indication?
- What are the remaining unmet needs and opportunities for drug developers within the acne space?

Key Findings

- The main drivers of growth in the acne market during the 2012-2018 forecast period include the launch of AndroScience’s ASC-J9, a therapeutic that is highly anticipated in the previously stagnant acne market and will make hormonal therapies available to males with acne, the continued success and uptake of Galderma’s Epiduo, and the launch of Photocure’s Visonac; potentially the first photodynamic therapy for use in acne.
- The lack of dedicated R&D programs in acne has been attributed to pharmaceutical companies viewing topicals, the mainstay of acne therapy, as being inexpensive, with a poor return on investment. Instead, R&D strategies have centered on reformulations of existing products and/or fixed-dose combination therapies, acquisitions of key dermatology products by Big Pharma, and label expansions into the previously untapped pediatric market. Targeting the pediatric market is a strategy that GlobalData expects will be used by other dermatology companies during the coming decade.
- A continued unmet need for acne is the need for new and innovative products to treat the underlying condition. Ideally, these products should be molecules that can specifically target critical pathways in the acne pathophysiology. Given the acne market’s substantial patient pool (estimated to be 103.9 million patients in the US and 5EU) and increasing understanding of the disease’s pathophysiology, GlobalData expects continued interest in the acne market from biotechs and pharmaceutical companies over the coming decade.

Key Benefits

- Develop and design in-licensing and out-licensing strategies through a review of pipeline products and technologies, and by identifying the companies with the most robust pipeline. Additionally a list of acquisition targets included in the early-stage pipeline products list.
- Develop business strategies by understanding the trends shaping and driving the US and 5EU acne prescription therapeutics market.
- Drive revenues by understanding the key trends, innovative products and technologies, market segments, and companies likely to impact the US and 5EU acne prescription therapeutics markets in the future.
- Formulate effective sales and marketing strategies by understanding the competitive landscape and by analyzing the performance of various competitors.
- Identify emerging players with potentially strong product portfolios and create effective counter-strategies to gain a competitive advantage.
- Track therapy sales in the US and 5EU acne prescription therapeutics markets from 2012-2018.
- Organize sales and marketing efforts by identifying the market categories and segments that present maximum opportunities for consolidations, investments and strategic partnerships.